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If you want a touchy subject, just bring up the topic of wolves. The Idaho Statesman recently reported that U.S. District Court Judge Edward Lodge ruled that a federal agency doesn't need to do a new environmental study before being allowed to kill more wolves in Idaho. The ruling favored the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Services of Idaho and acted against Western Watersheds Project and four other environmental groups.

I reached out to Todd Grimm, Idaho State Director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Services and was pleasantly surprised when he took the call. Here’s where the touchy comes in. I tried to explain that I was not an environmental provocateur. “ (Sparks) We know that wolf packs teach their young how and where to predate and it seems reasonable that if that predation occurs on someone’s herd of livestock, wolf management should come into play. (Grimm) It’s not just the teaching, there are times when wolves kill livestock to feed themselves or their pups. It’s the same principle.”?

Laird Lucas, an attorney at Advocates for the West representing the groups, said the ruling will be appealed.